The Effectiveness of Zoom and Google Slides in Project-Based English Classes in Japan
Ayako NAKAI
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effects of project-based learning in English classes, using Zoom and Google slides, on EFL students’ anxiety toward online classes. In 2020, 19 undergraduate students pursuing tourism major participated in this study. The students took part in pre and post-writing tests, before and after intervention, respectively. To examine students’ anxiety toward English learning classes, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) was adopted in this study. It was hypothesized that there existed a possibility of increase in students’ anxiety because of online classes conducted via Zoom and by using Google slides, which the students had never used before the pandemic. However, the results of the t-test revealed that the project-based class using Zoom platform and Google slides had a limited effect on decreasing students’
anxiety. After the intervention, a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores was observed (t(18) = 4.086; p < .01). It proved that projects such as those involving preparation of PowerPoint group presentations by students about their favorite prefectures and creating travel brochures for foreign countries using Zoom and Google slides were useful activities that contributed in improving the students’ proficiency in English.
Keywords
project-based learning, online classes, Google slides, Zoom platform, anxiety
Toyo University
1 . Introduction
In 2020, the novel coronavirus played havoc in Tokyo, and the first state of emergency was issued on April 7, 2020. At that moment, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT, 2020) announced that universities should either delay the start time of the first period, in order to encourage students to avoid morning rush hours or provide online classes. Online learning has become a major choice for most universities, such as Waseda University, Keio University and Tokyo Gagugei University, for conducting classes during the
pandemic. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Japanese higher education witnessed a paradigm shift. Online classes are being conducted using online platforms like Zoom or Webex.
The university with which I am working, also opted for online classes during the spring semester of 2020. As this was an unusual situation, the faculty at our university did not get enough time to make modifications in the curricula and syllabi. Therefore, they needed to make extra effort to try online classes by incorporating project-based learning (PBL) method.
This study sought to examine the effects of project-based English learning of EFL students using Zoom and Google slides. The details of the activities included in the online PBL class which was conducted using Zoom platform and Google slides, will be described in this study. This research will be useful for the Japanese teachers as well as those of other countries, who are still struggling to manage their classroom activities by using internet and are also trying to maintain the quality of teaching. The following research questions were formulated:
Q1: What kind of activities enable active participation of students in online PBL classes using Zoom and Google slides?
Q2: Are online PBL classes effective in improving students’ English fluency?
Q3: How do the online project-based classes increase students’ anxiety toward English classes ?
2 . Literature Review
2.1. Concept of project-based learning (PBL)
The philosophy of PBL at an early stage is related to that of John Dewey (1859-1952), “learning by doing.” His student William Heard Kilpatrik (1871-1965) developed his idea and proposed a new method called the “project method”. PBL is based on Kilpatrik’s Project Method (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, 2016). According to Blumenfeld et al., (1991, p.371), “PBL is a comprehensive perspective focused on teaching by engaging students in investigation.” As compared to traditional activities, in this method, the students are engaged in projects, formulate questions and develop their own knowledge in realistic contexts.
In this study, the students enrolled in the English Tourism Project and Presentation, analyzed their tasks such as preparation of travel brochures, conducted discussion in groups, and presented their results with the help of a role play, in which they played the role of travel agents and customers. The activity was based on the PBL theory.
2.2 Previous studies on PBL in English classes at universities in Japan
Various universities, such as International Christian University and Sophia University in Japan, have adopted PBL. Previous research has focused on English PBL classes. By employing the PBL method involving discussions and presentations, the scores of the students of Ritsumeikan University in their TOEC test, showed an increase by 60 points in the year 2010 as
compared to scores obtained in 2008 (Suzuki, 2010). However, the participants did not take the test immediately after the intervention. Therefore, it was not proven that only PBL was the cause behind their improvement in English proficiency.
At Shitenoji University, the students aspiring to become English teachers, participated in PBL as an active learning method. According to Okuba (2016), the students planned to teach English basic grammar to high school students as part of pre-admission education, gave trial lessons to them, conducted discussions with other students, and the teacher reflected on their lessons.
After the intervention, the students completed a questionnaire measuring their motivation toward teaching. However, the data gathered through the questionnaire were not statistically analyzed.
The study of Amano, Yamamoto, Fujimori, and Matsuno (2016) focused on the effects of types of classroom on the success of PBL English classes at Shizuoka University. The researchers developed a new scale to explore the participants’ impressions of the PBL classes, but the internal consistency of the scale was not determined.
Gomez Chikamori’s study (2020) attempted to identify the effects of PBL on students’ attitudes.
The teacher chose the project “Let’s Get the World Know More about Japan” to introduce Japanese culture to foreigners. The students collected information related to the project themselves and interviewed foreigners to find out their needs to travel comfortably. Finally, they shot a 5-minute video about Japanese culture, in English, and posted it on YouTube. The researcher developed a new scale, in the form of a questionnaire, and administered it on the 18 students. The results revealed that English learning attitude and attitudes toward different cultures did not show statistical significance after the intervention while their attitudes toward cooperative learning indicated a significant difference.
In summary, case studies of English classes adopting PBL have been popular for a decade.
Most researchers have been interested in changes in students’ attitudes and motivation, but the improvement in English proficiency by employing PBL has not clearly been demonstrated in those studies.
2.3 Previous studies using Zoom
In Russia, 72 students and 20 teachers of Kazan Federal University participated in the research on Zoom-based English classes (Nurieva & Garaeva, 2020). The student attitude survey was conducted before and after being taught English as a foreign language. The results of the study suggested that the students realized the ease of using Zoom platform appreciated the high quality videos and showed more favorable attitudes toward Zoom online classes after the experiments. The dropout rate of the English classes conducted via Zoom was lower than that of the traditional classes.
In Korea, Kim (2021) identified the efficiency of online undergraduate English reading classes via Zoom, and the participants took the achievement tests twice as pre-test and post-test. The
results showed that even online classes could have a positive effect on students’ reading comprehension.
Nyuranto (2021) compared the effectiveness of English online classes on Zoom with face-to-face English classes in a vocational high school in Indonesia. The contents of the intervention were not clearly described in the study. Compared to a control group taught by face-to-face class (n=30), the experimental group with Zoom (n=30) showed a statistical significance in EFL learners’ English skills after the intervention. The results of Nyuranto’s study (2021) indicated that zoom meetings enhanced EFL learners’ motivation, although the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were not determined. Additionally, the details of the teaching procedures employed for the English classes via zoom, the classroom settings and the content of the pre and post-tests were not clearly described.
In a study conducted in Japan, Maekawa (2021) combined two revised existing psychological scales that examined the motivational regulations of English learners, and 18 students from six different English classes of the same university completed the questionnaire. The motivational changes between April and August were not statistically significant, suggesting that the students maintained their motivations even through Zoom classes.
3 . Method
3.1 Participants
The sample for the study included 19 Japanese second-year undergraduate students pursuing Tourism major, at a private university in the Kanto area. This included 14 female and 5 male students. English tourism project classes are compulsory for the students. The teacher explained the purpose of the research (i.e., to improve students’ English proficiency and examine their anxiety toward online English classes. No compensation was provided to the students for their participation.
3.2 Materials
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale: In order to examine students’ anxiety toward English learning classes, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986), was used in this study. The 5 point Likert-scale scale consisted of 33 questions. The scale demonstrated internal reliability and an alpha coefficient of .93. Some examples items are mentioned below:
Item 9: “I start to panic when I have to speak without preparation in language class”.
Item 17: “I often feel like not going to my language class”.
Item 25: “Language class moves so quickly, I worry about getting left”.
In this study, the students were required to make group or individual presentations via Zoom and prepare travel brochures using Google slides. Most of the students used Zoom and Google Slides in English classes, for the first time. It was hypothesized that their anxiety toward English and online classes would increase. Therefore, the scale was used to analyze the changes in their anxiety levels.
3.3 Procedure
First, the Zoom account and password of the class and the PDF file containing information regarding use of Zoom was provided to the students via email, before the class started. The pretest was carried out on 19 students who responded to the FLCAS questionnaire, before the intervention. They were asked to write an essay on the theme “My Favorite Local City in Japan”, within 20 minutes, without consulting a dictionary. The teacher collected their questionnaires and essays through the university online system to assist their learning. It was assumed that most of the students who belonged to the faculty of tourism had traveled to some places in Japan; therefore, the content of the pretest was not difficult for them. A total of 19 students attended the PBL class related to tourism between April 2020 and January, 2021. All classes were held online using the Zoom platform. In the next step, the 19 students were divided into 6 groups comprising 3 to 4 students and were asked to complete three projects.
Every week, power point slides were provided to the students via the university online system which included many pictures and YouTube video links, and handouts prepared on Microsoft Word, which included key points for each project. These materials were beneficial for the students whose internet connection was not stable. The first project assigned to them was to create a travel brochure. Each group of students were required to select their favorite foreign countries and discuss the features of travel brochures in groups by analyzing the available sample brochures. They were also required to decide the characteristic features of the language which could make the advertisement more attractive. After that, they chose a map and photographs of the famous tourist spots, and used the free application VENNGAGE to design the travel brochures with ease. They used google slides for their collaborative work. The students were given a PDF file containing instructions pertaining to use of Google slides, including screenshots of model brochures. The teacher also accessed the google slides of each group and observed how each member contributed to the project. Finally, the students performed role plays on the Zoom platform and acted as travel agents and customers using travel brochures, for their mid-term examination.
For the second project, the teacher asked each group of students to prepare Power Point presentations about their favorite local areas in Japan. The students decided to take up prefectures in Japan, except in Kyoto which was already covered in the sample slides prepared by the teacher. The students researched for the related information on the prefecture that they chose and conducted SWOT analysis by discussing the positive and negative features of that
particular area. The teacher showed two YouTube videos of a good presentation and a bad presentation to the students and encouraged them to discuss the differences, focusing on gestures, postures, voice inflections, and the design of slides. They were able to grasp the concrete image of effective presentations and made group presentations via Zoom, for their mid- term examination.
As part of the third project, the students prepared their CV to apply for a job in the tourism department. They were allowed to choose jobs related to tourism. A model CV was provided to the students. Before the students performed the role of interviewers and applicants, they were asked to watch two YouTube videos to acquaint themselves with some key vocabularies for answering the interviewer’s questions properly. In addition, the teacher taught some key phrases using PowerPoint slides via Zoom. Eventually, they performed group role plays and were encouraged to ask as well as answer questions based on their CV, as a final test.
After the intervention, post-test was carried out in which the students completed the same questionnaire which they had responded to earlier, and wrote an essay on the same title, within 20 minutes, and this time also they were not allowed to use a dictionary.
4 . Results
4.1 Pre-test and Post-test Results
Table 1 shows the concerned variable, mean scores and standard deviations in the pre-test and post-test. The data were analyzed using t-tests. There was significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores at .01 level of significance (t(18) = 4.086; p < .01). It proved that the activities based on project-based learning using Zoom and Google slides were effective in improving the students’ writing fluency.
Table 1
Pre-test and Post-test Scores
Participants (n = 19)
M SD
Pre-test 103.26 26.41
Post-test 134.05 44.13
4.2 Correlations between the scores obtained on FLCAS and test scores
Table 2 shows the mean FLCAS scores. Discussion for preparing travel brochures via Zoom and making travel brochures using Google slides were expected to decrease students’ anxiety toward English learning classes. The results of the t-test revealed that the project-based class using Zoom platform and Google slides had a limited effect on decreasing students’ anxiety (t(18)
= 3.129; p = .06 n.s.)
Table 2
Average Points obtained on the FLCAS Scale
Participants (n = 19)
M SD
Pre-test 3.52 0.34
Post-test 3.20 0.45
Although the data from the scale indicated that the students’ anxiety toward online class conducted by using Zoom platform and Google slides did not drastically change after the intervention, there is a possibility that students with low anxiety levels exhibit improved writing proficiency. From this point of view, Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was calculated between the mean score differences of students’ anxiety toward the English class (before and after the treatment) and those of pre-and post-tests. However, the difference between the mean pre- and post-test scores were not related to students’ anxiety toward English classes before and after the intervention (r =. 098; p = .691 n.s.). This indicated that the effectiveness of the project-based learning method, by using Zoom platform and Google slides, was not associated with anxiety toward English classes.
5 . Discussion and Conclusion
The activities based on project-based learning through Zoom and Google slides appeared to contribute toward improvement of students’ writing fluency. Additionally, the online classes via Zoom seemed to have a marginal positive effect in decreasing the anxiety level of the students.
According to Meyer (2016), Japan has one of the most hierarchical cultures, like Korea.
Therefore, Mayer (2016) insisted that superiors should provide clear instructions for their subordinates’ input. Hence, the teacher provided explicit images to the students, to help them in successful completion of their projects, and showed YouTube videos, which included many tips regarding role plays involving customers and travel agents. Based on the model conversations provided by the teacher, the students freely revised their scripts and actively enjoyed performing in the role plays.
Using the target language as output, is good for making the learners realize the problems related to the second language they speak (Swain, 1995). The output of the second language enhances vocabulary acquisition of the learners (Ellis and He, 1999). It is assumed that because of the output activities assessed via Zoom, the students in this study reflected on their use of language and enriched their vocabulary, which most likely improved their writing proficiency too. A previous study by Kim (2021) found that online English reading classes using Zoom had a positive effect on students’ English reading comprehension, and the researcher suggested that teachers should organize English classes systematically with detailed explanations. The present
study proved that online classes with explicit instructions improved students’ writing skills.
Mayer (2016) suggested that people in a hierarchical culture are more likely to receive feedback before actively participating in works. However, the students in this study discussed the three projects, in the absence of their teacher, in the break out rooms, on the zoom platform, with other members while working on their projects. In the breakout room, students cannot see the teacher’s facial expressions and are unable to seek their advice frequently. The unusual environment in the online class transformed the students from learners, dependent on the authorities, to independent learners.
Additionally, the teacher showed a model script of power point group presentations focusing on prefectures in Japan, and also provided a model CV, in English, for role playing as applicants and interviewers. The socio-cognitive theory emphasizes the importance of interpersonal aspects and one of the good writing strategies is by observing models (Leki, 1995). In Japan, most elementary students had experience of calligraphy, and they were asked to look at models depicting excellent calligraphy carefully and imitate them. Therefore, use of models was an ideal strategy to which the Japanese students were already used to, in the past. Use of Leki’s writing strategy, by observing models using Zoom, seemed to be appropriate for the Japanese students.
The findings of the study by Maekawa (2021) showed that the language learning motivation of Japanese undergraduate students was retained through online classes conducted via Zoom. It was hypothesized that the students anxieties can be increased through online classes by using Zoom and Google slides, which they had never used before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the data from the FLCAS showed that their anxieties toward English learning did not increase in irregular classroom settings. The FLCAS includes various items that focus on anxiety. One of the anxieties was related to speaking in the classroom. For instance, Item 27: “I get nervous and confused when I am speaking in my language class”; Item 31: “I am afraid that other students will laugh at me when I speak the foreign language”.
In this study, when the students made presentations in groups, other students were asked to turn off the video of Zoom not to show their faces but listen to their presentations. Therefore, the students did not need to worry about the facial expressions of their fellow students and did not need to be afraid of being laughed at. Therefore, it was assumed that conducting speaking activities using Zoom would help students to alleviate anxiety in English classrooms. Further studies can be conducted using control groups to examine the change in students’ anxiety toward English learning and improvement in their writing skill.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to my colleagues who designed the contents of the three projects in this study and conducted passionate online discussions to make the online project-based classes successful.
Thanks to their cooperation, I was able to teach the class effectively. I also appreciate Dr.
Aradhana who gave valuable advice and clear guidance during the process of revising my paper. In addition, I am also indebted to the participants of my study without whose cooperation I could not have finished writing this paper.
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